The anime industry has lost another great individual. Seiji Yokoyama, popular for his music compositions in Saint Seiya has passed away on Saturday in a hospital in Sera, Hiroshima. His cause of death was due to pneumonia. He was 82 years old.
Yokoyama is a graduate from the Kunitachi College of Music 1957. Since then, he then devoted his career in composing music various Japanese media such video anime projects, television, and radio. His notable works aside from Saint Seiya were Magical Taruruuto-kun, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and Sangokushi. Throughout his entire career as a composer, he has contributed a majority of the Saint Seiya original video anime as well the anime films of the franchise.
A funeral service for Yokoyama was held on Monday in Fuchu.
Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply known as Saint Seiya started as a manga popular manga series created by Masami Kurumada serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump from 1986 to 1990 which was then later compiled into 28 tankobon volumes. The manga follows the story of five “Saints”—five mystical knights that fight against the forces of evil using “Cloths”, the name of the sacred armors. The designs the armor is derived from the different constellations and is adopted as their fated guardian symbols.
The series have been such a huge hit in Japan that it has sold a total of 34 million copies. When the manga was been distributed to the West, it was renamed and promoted as Knights of the Zodiac. The anime adaptation was first aired in 1986 until 1989 with a total of 114 episodes. Aside from the anime, a light novel series, OVAs, anime films, and spin-off media were also created.
Yokoyama has done so much for these franchises that we will surely miss his compositions. His legacy will continue to live on through the music features in these popular anime classics.